Keeping Hands warm while on the ice

This is probably the biggest issue while ice fishing. You go out, you catch a nice mess of fish, you get cleaned off. You take your gloves off and your hands freeze! It really sucks, because once they are cold, they are cold pretty much for good. Just wondering some nice ideas for keeping your hands warm while on the ice. One method i ended up using tonight is sticking your hands in your arm pits. It sounds funny but your pits are really warm and it warms them up fairly well. I also heard once to wear rubber gloves, like dentists under neath you regular ice gear. This way, when you handle a fish or reach in the hole for something, you don’t freeze your hands off. My $0.02 is just simply to avoid taking your gloves off if at all possible but both of the above work well!
Any thoughts?

I use one of those hand muffs that buckle around your waist.
Stick a hand warmer in that and your hands are all nice and toasty.

I use rubber gloves.

I have one of those sunflower heaters that take the one pound cylinders. Put it between your legs, keeps your hands toasty warn and it’s fairly cheap.

Never put your gloves on if your hands are wet at all. I use a muff with a hand warmer in it if I need to warm up my hands quick. It really is a challenge when you’re hopping around hole to hole and catching fish. Perch and bluegill fishing is the worst. Its hard to have a system and remember to use it when the fishing is fast and furious. I guess I’m open to new tricks also.

Take one or two of those tea bag hand warmers and wrap them around your rod handle. Use a rubber band to hold them in place.

Yep, that was the situation today. My hands were not very wet under my neoprenes, but when i took them off to pack things up, my hands got frigid. it made for a tough ride home and i did have to stop along the way to use the armpit trick
Ill have to look into a hand muff. This is sort of one reason i like to use a shanty. Even when its mild at 25-30 degrees, your hands can still get cold and its always nice to be thrashing pannies in a t-shirt like we were yesterday!
Another thing to add is when your hands are really really cold, don’t run them under hot water. This can cause some pain and i have found that it makes your hands really itchy. When i was done i ran them under cool water for a couple minutes and dried them off. It worked like a charm.
Any more suggesions guys?

i would go with redneck jr’s idea i often use that trick while bow hunting. i dont know why i don’t use it when on the ice it’s a great invention. not only that but i look like brett favre too

You can fire up a coffe can with some charcoal briquettes. It will provide heat all day. It also helps to strap a boat towel to your belt loop so you can dry your hands quickly.

yeah i read once about dumping that special torch oil in a can and then lighting it..something like that and lighting it. The book clearly states that it is dangerous…NO ya think?! lol…Thanks to nick i got a good idea of what you guys are talking about when you say “hand muffs” lol Nick i can’t really see the Brett in you……

hey they used to call me the northern gun slinger so i could throw it with the best of them! although they didn’t have anything that fancey when i was as good of a quaterback as i used to be!

lol if you say so….I have been known to launch left over minnows myself …
Back to the subject-
here are the exact words out of this one really good fishing tip book that i have.
“here’s a cheap way to keep your hands warm. Take along a one pound empty coffe can with a roll of toilet paper soaked with a pint of rubbing alcohol and a small aluminum pie plate larger than the diameter of the can. When you’re out on the ice, remove the plastic lid and drop in a lighted match. The blue flame in the can will quickly warm your hands and fingers. To put out the flame when you’re done, cover the top of the can with the pie plate, and after it cools replace the plastic lid. Be careful with the can; it gets hot.”
Sounds Dangerous to me!
here’s the rubber gloves one.
“Here’s a tip that was passed on to me by an avid ice fisherman. To keep his hands warm, dry, and insulated against the cold, he would wear thin rubber gloves like those used in hospitals. The gloves allow flexibility when baiting, tying on, or removing hooks, and handling fish or wet linest. In addition, they could also be slipped into a pair of mittens for extra warmth.”

I use Gortex gloves with the fingertips cut off..

Never tried rubber gloves but would think your hands would sweat making them cold?

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Be careful with the can; it gets hot.

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Wonder how long it would take to melt through 3-4 inches of ice! I think your right, not a very good idea…

I used the “hospital” style rubber gloves this spring/summer with stink bait (mostly) and some cut bait.

First off you have to get the size that’s skin tight for you. Because they are so tight, although your hands don’t get wet, they still get cold quick. Also, you will need more than one pair. A fin or hook will tear a hole in them and the hole never seems to get smaller!

I go through a bunch of the air activated charcoal heaters for my toes and my hands each year. Trying to keep my hands dry as much as possable before tucking them back into my gloves.

Last year, I got a black eye from BigFish’s suggestion and I don’t recommend it to anyone.

My hands were at that point of hurting from the cold…when I slipped them into the armpits…my favorite wife whacked me a good one. I’ll never do that again.

this is one thing that was never a problem with me… my hands hardly ever get cold and when i ware my gloves(Remington Thinsulate 40 gram cut finger and mintin) my hands sweat and then get cold. this weekend i was out hole hoppin and never had a problem im sure glad too.
-Aaron
oh yeah these gloves were only like $13 and they been the best pair ever

i here fire works warm you right up. shoot a couple of M80’s out of what used to be your hands and i think they would be so warm you wouldn’t even fell them anymore

check this out!!! Hand warmers

Take a towel with you and dry your hands whenever they get wet. This stops them from losing heat through evaporation. Simple but effective.

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check this out!!! Hand warmers

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Can’t believe those are still around. I use to use one of those back in grade school when doing my paper route. Only cost about 2.00 back then. [gee, I must be young, lol]

I don’t personally like the idea of fires of any kind on the ice as of fear of someone getting burned and also could melt/weaken ice and someone falls in.

Those heat muffs that you wear around your waste with heat packs in them sound good.
Thanks, Bill

That’s what I was thinking Bill…but I didn’t want to give away my age…you OF!

If I recall, I had about 4 or 5 of them. I don’t know if I lost them or they quit working for some reason…I think I lost them…

Personally, I like the charcoal heaters we have now over the mess of lighter fluid…but that’s me.

NEVER TRIED THIS ON THE ICE BUT USE IT FOR SPRING JIGGING, COFFEE CAN WITH A STERNO HEAT CAN WORKS GOOD AND DOESN’T HEAT THE BOTTOM OF THE COFFEE CAN.

http://www.sterno.com/sterno/sterno_retail/welcome.aspx

A towel to dry your hands if your taking your gloves off is the only thing you can do.. dry your hands immediately if they get wet/slimy. The best thing you can do is NOT get your hands wet in the 1st place.

The have so many new kinds of gloved ont he market. I have a pair I have been using for a couple years(cost me $50 few years ago) that are wind and water proof, thinsulate, very thin diameter, and the fingertips are off and they have the mitten finger cover that folds over.

These gloves dont soak in water, I can handle fish with them on if needed.. and bait the hook with them on. They stay reasonably warm, and eliminate the wind factor.

I just found another pair(since I cant find 1st) at a Holiday gas station in Rogers for $10 a week ago.

I usually bring two pairs of gloves. One pair goes in the layers next to my ribs. When my hands get cold trade the cold ones for the ones next to your ribs.

Personally, I’ve been pretty fortunate with keeping my hands warm. I typically dry them off with a towel and use choppers, carring a spare set just in case. For open water, medium weight gloves with the rubber tips have worked well for me. Not sure what they’re made of, but I’ve seem them at quite a few stores. They’re not too bulky, give me a good grip on the rod and best of all, only a copule of bucks a pair. Again, the trick is to dry off my hands each time and make sure I have a spare pair just in case.

As somebody who’s had to work outside using rubber/latex/nitrile gloves, I have found that my hands sweat and when changing out gloves (which was often), they got cold quickly.

A buddy of mine that’s perpetually had a problem keeping his hands warm finally found a solution a couple of years back that works well for him. He takes the tea bag type warmers and uses a wrist band or sock to secure it to the lower side of his wrist and goes with a pair of choppers. The nice thing about going that route is that it keeps his hands free (verses holding onto the warmer or keeping in his mit). The time or two I tried it, I actually found that my hands got too warm and began to sweat.

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He takes the tea bag type warmers and uses a wrist band or sock to secure it to the lower side of his wrist and goes with a pair of choppers. The nice thing about going that route is that it keeps his hands free (verses holding onto the warmer or keeping in his mit). The time or two I tried it, I actually found that my hands got too warm and began to sweat.

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THIS IS A GOOD TIP, THE REASON THAT IT WORKS IS, THE HAND WARMER IS ON YOUR BLOOD VEINS AND IT WARMS THE BLOOD GOING TO THE HANDS IT ALSO WORKS FOR THE BACK SIDE OF YOUR NECK TO WARM THE BODY. IT’S ALSO A GOOD TIP FOR WHEN YOU ARE HOT, PUT SOMETHING COOL IN THOSE AREAS TO COOL THE BLOOD.

I tried out the latex gloves today, and it did work pretty well. My hands would get cold when I grabbed a fish, but as soon as I let it go they would warm up again.